“The Happiness of the Katakuris” (2001), directed by Takashi Miike, will be shown on Friday, Aug. 30, at 11:59 p.m. at the Vista Theatre, 4473 Sunset Dr., Los Angeles.
“How does one describe this movie? It’s basically about a family (the Katakuris) who open up an inn in which the guests unfortunately meet a number of untimely deaths which force the family to find ways to bury or get rid of the bodies before new guests arrive. . .only to meet even more grisly, inventive, hilarious deaths.
“And each death is usually accompanied by a musical dance number from a different genre of Japanese pop music.
“What makes Katakuris great beyond its head slapping exuberance and uniqueness is how Miike finds a way to tell a heart-warming story about family in the least likely vehicle possible: a horror comedy murder musical.” — Craig Hammill, 35mm Secret Movie Club programmer/organizer
The cast ncludes Kenji Sawada as father Masao, Keiko Matsuzaka as mother Terue, Shinji Takeda as son Masayuki, Naomi Nishida as daughter Shizue, and Tamaki Miyazaki as grandchild Yurie, who narrates the film.
Miike has over 100 directing credits, including “Audition,” “Ichi the Killer,” “Gozu,” “13 Assassins,” “Full Metal Yakuza,” “Yakuza Apocalypse,” and “Blade of the Immortal.”
Tickets: https://secretmovieclub.eventbrite.com, https://www.facebook.com/secretmovieclub35mm/
Upcoming at the Vista: “Shin Godzilla” on Sept. 1 at 10:30 a.m.; “Mothra vs. Godzilla” on Sept. 7 at 11:59 p.m.; “Yojimbo” on Sept. 15 at 10:30 a.m.; “Sanjuro” on Sept. 22 at 10:30 a.m.; “High and Low” on Oct. 12 at 10 a.m.; “Ran” on Nov. 30.